Super Bowl Advertisers Use Social Media to Create Hype

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. viewership (n.) – kind or number of people who watch a certain show, channel or movie

Example: The drama’s viewership increased after the addition of a new character.

2. commercial (n.) – (on radio or television) a video or announcement intended to sell something; an advertisement

Example: Our company will release a TV commercial to tell people about our new product.

3. notch (n.) – a slightly higher level or step

Example: His excellent report was a notch above than everyone else’s.

4. anticipation (n.) – the act of hoping or looking forward to a future event

Example:  Her anticipationto meet the famous athlete made her lose sleep.

5. bandwagon (n.) – something that continually grows in popularity

Example: The iPhone bandwagon brought big profits to Apple Incorporated.

Article
Read the text below.

The Super Bowl, America’s biggest sporting event, is a major day for advertisers all over the country. With a guaranteed viewership of over 100 million, advertisers have competed against one another through the years to come up with the most impressive commercials. This year, however, advertisers went a notch further by using social media websites to get people to talk about the commercials before they are broadcasted during the games. By uploading the ads on sites like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, advertisers were able to build anticipation among viewers even before the commercials aired on TV. Advertisers did not even have to pay for it. Out of the more than fifty commercials that aired during the game, half were posted early on the Internet. Leading the social media bandwagon were big automobile companies such as Volkswagen, Chevrolet and Honda, whose ads earned millions of hits on YouTube days before the Super Bowl game. But according to Jennifer Roberts, a social media expert, some viewers said that “they were a little disappointed to have seen the ads early.” Their disappointment is not too surprising. The popularity of such commercials has grown to the point that some fans are only excited about the Super Bowl for the commercials. Nevertheless, advertisers and marketing specialists do not seem to be worried. In fact, some companies such as MetLife—whose commercial featured characters like Snoopy, Scooby Doo and Voltron—continued uploading more clips on the Internet even after the Super Bowl.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A

·         Is social media an advantage to business? Why or why not?  

·         What kinds of businesses do you think will profit best using social media?

Discussion B

·         Is Internet advertising much better than TV advertising?

·         What for you is an effective advertisement?

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